How to hide folder on samsung phone. Secret folder for android

If you need to hide something on your Android device, there are many ways to do it. Let's consider each of them.

How to hide files on Android

You can hide files on Android with or without Root rights.

If you have Root rights, you can:

put a period in front of the file name to hide it for viewing;

create a .nomedia file using "ES Explorer" and place it in a folder whose contents you want to hide;

install AppHider for apps or Hexlock for files, apps and other personal information.

If you don't have Root rights, you can:

put a period in front of the file name and so make it hidden;

create a .nomedia file on a PC or laptop, connect the device to the PC and transfer the created file to the folder you want to hide;

hide application icons in Settings;

install Hide All Files for files, Hide Something for photos and videos, Apex to hide application icons.

How to find out if the device has Root

To find out if your phone has Root rights, do the following:

Enter "download root checker" in the search bar.

Download and install the Root Checker program.

Click on the button with the corresponding name in the "Check Root" tab.

Click on the "CHECK ROOT" button in the Root Checker application

After that, you will see information about the presence or absence of Root rights on the phone.

Video: how to use the Root Checker program

If you have Root rights

With Root rights, you can hide files by renaming them to ES Explorer, creating a .nomedia file, or installing the Hexlock App Lock program.

Renaming files in "ES Explorer"

To hide a file in ES Explorer:

Download the application from the Play Market and install it.

Launch and swipe the main menu to the right or left. Select the desired folder and open it.

Select the file with a long press and

Put a period in front of the name and confirm your choice by pressing "OK".

If you want to hide a group of files:

Long press to highlight all the files you want to hide.

Click on the "Rename" button.

In the window that opens, select the second item, put a period in the input field. This way you don't need to specify a new name for each file: it will consist of a period and the old name. You don't have to change the extension. Click OK.

Select the second item in the list, in the name field, enter a period, click "OK"

After that, the files will be hidden. To view them, expand the side menu of the application, and select "Show hidden files" from the list. Set the switch to the "On" position.

Toggle the toggle to Enabled to view hidden files

Creating a .nomedia file in ES File Explorer

To create a .nomedia file in ES Explorer, do the following:

Download, install and run the application.

In the list of folders, select the one, the contents of which will be hidden. Go into it.

From the menu at the bottom of the screen, select New - Create File. In the name field, write ".nomedia". Confirm your choice by clicking "OK".

You will see a notification that the .nomedia file has been created.

Video: How to Hide Files with .nomedia in ES File Explorer

Installing Hexlock

Hexlock is a free application that allows you to hide all types of data, as well as the user's personal information (SMS and contact list). Loaded from the official store.

To hide files using Hexlock, do the following:

Open Play Maket. Find, download and install the app.

At startup, decide on the type of protection: pin code, picture password or fingerprint scanner. Choose what suits you best. Repeat twice.

Select Media Vault from the side menu. Click on the button with the plus sign, select the folder, and in it the files to add them to the repository. Click on the ADD TO VAULT button.

The files that you have hidden will not be available for viewing.

To recover hidden files:

Open the app. Depending on what you have set as protection, enter your pin code, picture password or scan your fingerprint.

Select Media Vault from the side menu. All previously hidden files will be displayed there.

Select with a long press what you are going to restore, click on the restore button in the form of a crossed-out lock icon at the bottom of the screen and in the Restore From Vault selection confirmation window select Restore.

The files will be restored.

Video: Hexlock app overview

If there are no Root rights

If you do not have Root rights, you can hide files by putting a period in front of the name, creating a .nomedia file, or by installing the Hide All Files application.

Period in front of file name

To hide the file in this way, do the following:

Open File Manager. It can be standard, or it can be downloaded from the Play Market.

Navigate to the folder you need. Select the files you want to hide with a long press.

Click on the "Rename" button.

In the input field, put a period in front of the file name.

Confirm your choice by clicking "OK" / "Finish". Close the application.

Go to the "Settings" of the device, select "Applications" and then "All." In the list of suggested ones, open those that you use to view audio / video / photos, and click on "Erase data".

When renaming an audio recording, its title should not be separated by a hyphen or dash. Otherwise, the file will not be hidden.

Create a .nomedia file on your PC and move it to the desired folder

The .nomedia file will hide all files from a folder whose contents you do not want to be exposed. To create it, do the following:

Connect your smartphone to your PC or laptop. On your desktop, create a new text document, leave it blank and resave as .nomedia. Select All Files from the list of file types.

Move the .nomedia file to the desired location. If you want to hide a file from a folder placed in another, you can put it in the root directory. If you are worried about the safety of files, then it is better to create a new folder, insert .nomedia into it and then transfer what you need to hide.

Place the nomedia file in the folder you want

Clear the data on the work of applications in the "Settings" by going through the path: "Settings" - "Applications" - "All" - "Gallery" / "Music" / any program that you used to display hidden files - "Erase data". More details about this point are written above.

Your data that you hid will no longer be displayed, and the folder containing it will be marked as empty and will not be displayed either.

If you do not want to create a file from scratch every time, copy it to the previously created empty folder and then place it wherever you need it.

Installing Hide All Files

Hide All Files allows you to hide absolutely any type of file, including Microsoft Office documents, PDF, EPUB, as well as images, videos and audio recordings.

To hide files with Hide All Files:

Search for the application in the Play Market, install and open it.

Come up with a strong password to enter and click "OK".

Enter your password and click "OK"

Examine the list of all file folders in the Public tab. The app only displays what is stored on the memory card, so if you need to hide something, move it there. Select the desired folder by scrolling down the list if necessary.

Select the files you want to hide and click on the button with the lock.

Select the files you want to hide and click on the button with the image of the lock

To view hidden files, go to the Private tab. To restore them, check the boxes and click on the button with the image of the lock.

Select files to recover and click on the button with the image of the lock

How to hide a photo or video on Android

You can hide photos or video files in any of the ways described above: rename, place in the nomedia folder, download an application to hide them.

If you have Root rights, then you can use Hexlock, an application that allows you to hide all types of files, not just photos and videos. It is described in more detail in the section "How to hide files on Android".

If you do not have Root rights, then install the Hide Something application. It's free, but it does a great job.

To hide photos and videos from Hide Something, do the following:

Enter the Play Market, search for the app, download it and open it.

Come up with a picture password. At least 4 points.

Select the folder you are interested in from the list and open it. In the list of images, click on the ones you want to hide, and then on the button with the ghost.

Select the files you are interested in and click on the button with the ghost image

Click OK in the dialog box. The images along with the folder will be hidden.

Click "OK" to hide files

To view and restore hidden images, go to the "Invisible" tab. Open the folder, select the images and click on the restore button with the image of the eye. Click OK in the dialog box.

How to hide apps

If you have superuser rights, you can use Hide It Pro or the same Hexlock to hide certain applications. If there are no such rights, then only their icons can be hidden.

If you have Root rights

If you have Root rights, then you can use the Hide It Pro and Hexlock App Lock programs.

Installing Hide It Pro

To hide apps with Hide It Pro, do the following:

Run the application. When it loads, click on the logo image and hold it for a while. Thus, the application will be disguised from prying eyes.

Click on the logo image to launch all the functions of the application

Enter your password and pin code. This will open the main menu of the application.

Select "Hide Applications".

Select "Hide Applications"

Agree to install the plugin. At the warning about the need for superuser rights, click "OK".

Click the All Applications tab. Select the applications that you would like to hide and click "OK".

Installing Hexlock App Lock

To hide apps with Hexlock App Lock:

Run the application. If you have already launched the application, then enter the old password / pin code, if not, come up with a new one.

Choose one of three modes:

"Home" - a set of applications that you use while connected to your home network;
"Work" - similar to the network at work;
"School".

From the list of all applications, select the ones that you would like to hide, and put the switch next to them in the "Enabled" state.

Go to your profile. You can automate the connection by selecting the appropriate button in the menu and checking the box next to your home / work network.

After that, applications will be protected by a password or pin-code, and unauthorized access to them will be excluded.

In the absence of Root rights

If you do not have Root rights, then try to hide application icons in the settings or use the Apex application.

Hide application icons in settings

If you have applications that you do not use, you cannot delete them, and the icons get in the way, then you can hide them. To do this:

Go to the "Settings" device and select "Applications".

Scroll down to the All tab.

Select the application whose icon you want to hide. Click on it.

Find the "Disable" button. If it is blocked, click on the "Stop" button. Then confirm your choice by clicking "OK".

Click on the "Stop" button and on "OK"

Installing Apex Launcher

A similar result can be achieved by installing a third-party launcher - an application that will automatically hide all unnecessary icons. For example, you can use Nova Launcher or Apex Launcher.

Let's consider the algorithm of actions using Apex as an example:

Launch the launcher. Go to "Apex Settings" by double clicking on an empty space.

In Settings, select Application Menu Settings.

Find the item "Hidden Applications". Open it and check the boxes for the applications you would like to hide.

Click on "Save".

Video: how to use Apex Launcher

How to hide a specific folder

A folder can be hidden in exactly the same way as a file:

rename it by putting a period in front of the name;

place the .nomedia file in it. It will be considered empty and will not be displayed;

use apps. They will hide all the files that the folder contains, it will also be considered empty and will not be displayed.

How to set a password on a hidden item

You can lock the entire device. For these purposes, the following is used:

standard pin code. Enter "Settings" - "Location and Security". Select PIN;

graphic key;

password. A compromise between a PIN and a pattern.

You can only block a specific folder or file. For this:

Download from Play Market and install any application that allows you to hide files.

Set a password or pattern.

Select files from the folder you want to hide. Confirm your choice.

You can use for this purpose both applications that require Root access and applications for which you do not need any additional rights. All of them equally allow you to set a password and protect your data from unauthorized access.

Video: how to set a password for files and folders in Applocker

How to find and open hidden items on Android

Hidden items can be found using the built-in File Manager. To do this, just open it and see which file / folder names begin with a dot.

For the same purpose, you can use "ES Explorer":

Run the application. Open the side menu, in it find the item "Show hidden files".

Find the item "Show hidden files" and set the switch to "Enabled"

Set the switch to the "On" position.

Scroll down the menu to a list of all folders and files. The icons of hidden files and folders will be semi-transparent.

Apart from that, you can connect your device to a laptop or PC and check for hidden files there. For this:

Connect your smartphone to your laptop / PC.

Open the folder in Explorer where you would like to find hidden files.

If you have not previously made them hidden in Windows, then they will be displayed.

If you did, then go to "Start" - "Control Panel" - "Appearance and Personalization". Select "Folder Options" and then the "View" tab. In the "Advanced options" section, click "Show hidden files, folders ..." and confirm your choice by clicking "OK". The hidden files will show up.

Video: How to Open Hidden Files with ES File Explorer

How to open hidden items without a password if they are password protected

This is feasible only in 2 cases:

if the files were protected only by a graphic password for the entire device, and this password was bypassed;

if the files are in a password-protected archive, but they cannot be opened, they can only be viewed.

To bypass the picture password:

enter your Google account (keep your email address and password secret);

delete the gesture.key file manually (do not download or install the Aroma file manager);

delete the gesture.key file via an additional user (do not create an additional account with SuperSu and multi-user mode, if it is not necessary);

reset the settings to factory defaults.

You can only view the names and types of files in the password-protected archive, but you will not be able to extract or open them.

Enter the password to unpack the archive in the Easy Unrar, Unzip & Zip application

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Today we all take a lot and often take pictures with the camera of mobile Android devices. The quality of mobile cameras is growing, and so is the quality of images. But we do not always want all received photos to be shared on a smartphone.

A logical question arises: how to hide a photo on Android in the Gallery from prying eyes? The point is that it is not an obvious option - to make the built-in Gallery (Gallery) or Google Photos app not display certain pictures and make their content private. Of course, there is a solution and my article is about this today.

There are two main ways to hide your smartphone photo. According to the first, you need to create a new catalog in the smartphone's memory and transfer all the images that you want to hide from being shown in the gallery into it. The second method involves hiding images in the directory where they are already stored. For example, if you want to hide images saved in the Downloads folder.

Now let's take a closer look at how to hide a photo on Android in the Gallery.

The very first thing to do is open your favorite file manager on your smartphone. As an example, I will show you how to do everything using your favorite mobile application "ES Explorer". You can use Solid Explorer or similar managers with standard functionality.

So, using the manager's tools, create a directory in the internal memory of the smartphone (Internal Storage) and assign an arbitrary name to it. The way you like it is better in English letters. As an example, I can offer you the eloquent name Hidden. If you want to hide the photo in an existing directory, you can skip this step.

Now you can open the newly created directory (in our example HIDDEN), or a pre-selected already existing directory. Here you will need to create a new file called ".nomedia". Click "+" or, as in my case, select the "New" item from the menu and the "File" item in the new context menu. Confirm the creation of the file by tapping on "OK". The presence of this file tells the Gallery application that this directory does not need to be scanned for media files.

The newly created file will immediately disappear from your eyes. Don't worry about it, it should have happened! If you allow the file manager to show hidden files and directories, you will see a new file and much more interesting ... How to do it in ES Explorer? Very simple! Open the settings menu in the upper left corner, select "Settings", then "Display settings". Among the options in the new window, find "Show hidden files" and activate it by checking the box. And voila, the .nomedia file is clearly visible.

Now for the important point. If you want to hide a photo in a smartphone in an already existing directory (for example, Downloads), then you are done. All you need to do now is reboot your phone. If you created a new directory, keep reading.

If you have chosen to hide files the option of creating a new directory to which you want to transfer files with images, then I can recommend you to use a file manager such as Solid Explorer. The fact is that in landscape orientation, this manager shows both directories at once - the source and target, to which you want to transfer the files. The two-window interface makes the task of hiding photos on Android even easier.

Let's see how to transfer photos to the previously created directory in this program. Each of you can decide whether to use the method described below. You can also transfer files to ES Explorer and other programs, but not so convenient and simple.

In the left window, select the source directory that contains the photos or pictures you want to hide. For example, if we are talking about a photo, then find and open the DCIM -> Camera directory in the internal memory of the phone (or on a memory card).
Press and hold your finger on the photo you want to hide.
Check other files as well, if necessary.
Then click on the scissors icon in the upper right corner of the app. This will indicate which files to transfer. Please note that after that, in the left window of the source folder, the yellow icon with a plus sign in its lower right corner will change to a left arrow.
In order to transfer the file, select in the right window the target directory in which you previously created the special file ".nomedia". In my example, this is the "HIDDEN" directory.
Now tap on the yellow arrow icon and in the pop-up window select "Move to ..." with the scissors icon. Then the file will appear in the target folder and disappear in the source folder. The yellow icon will briefly change its color to green, with a checkmark symbol.
Well, at the end of the whole procedure, you need to reboot your smartphone. Why? Android's built-in media indexer must somehow find out which pictures to hide in the gallery. In simple terms, this will speed up the scanning of new files and lead to the detection of the ".nomedia" file you created. After rebooting, the operating system itself will understand that the photos that are in the same directory with it no longer need to be shown to anyone.

This does not mean that the files will become inaccessible. Of course, you, the owner of the smartphone, can always access hidden photos through your favorite file manager. Just remember where the hidden properties directory is. Now I can congratulate you, you know how to hide photos on Android in Gallery and Google Photos and not lose access to them.

Smartphones have become so firmly embedded in our everyday reality that we can no longer imagine life without them. We trust our little electronic assistants even very personal information, so the desire to hide some data from prying eyes is quite natural. Perhaps you have an intimate photo on your device, or you have installed an "adult" toy and do not want your children to see it.

It doesn't really matter what drives you. It is important that today a huge number of various applications have been created that can hide information in your smartphone from prying eyes. It is these applications that will be discussed in this article. Try out one of the applications below to be sure of the safety of your personal information.

Apps to hide files on Android

AppLock
KeepSafe
Andrognito
Vault

An excellent application that can easily hide absolutely any file on your smartphone. Moreover, the program is absolutely free. The application is essentially a regular file manager with the only distinguishing feature - the ability to hide any files and folders.

If you know where the file you need is located, then you can easily hide it. You can mark the required files as a group or individually, which is very convenient. The hidden data disappears from the field of view of any file managers or galleries. Helpful Hint: Use a password to log into the app for an extra layer of security.

This application is a real multifunctional harvester for hiding personal information for the Android operating system. With AppLock, you can hide your videos or photos, set up a ban on incoming calls, manage the installation and removal of programs, change system settings, influence the launch of installed applications, and much more.

The application has quite extensive settings, and even a full "kettle" can figure out its interface. During the first launch, you will be prompted to create a special password that will help you gain unhindered access to the list of hidden information, and will also allow you to change the program settings. With this program, your files will be under reliable protection!

Ideal for hiding private photos and videos. All information in KeepSafe is located in a special digital storage, which is protected by a user pin-code, so only you will have access to it. The program is very easy to learn, working with it does not cause any difficulties.

KeepSafe has the ability to back up your data using the cloud. This feature makes it possible to recover lost files in the event of a phone breakdown or theft.

It is worth paying attention to the "False PIN-code" function. It allows you to create a special password, entering which you get into an empty personal vault.

The key features of the application are a nice design and a unique three-step file encryption system. Andrognito helps you hide videos, pictures, programs or important documents. Moreover, the user is offered a choice of two types of encryption: fast and slow.

It is worth noting that slow encryption of user data hides in itself more advantages and in practice shows itself as a more reliable solution to protect your files. Conclusions, as they say, do it yourself.

The main distinguishing feature of Vault is hiding individual contacts or messages. In addition, the program will reliably hide your naughty photos or videos from unwanted eyes. The application has two versions - paid and free. The paid version of Vault will give you the ability to save files in the cloud, notify you of attempts to steal information, and learn how to hide your own icon.

Alternative ways to hide apps on Android

You don't have to use specialized solutions to hide your applications from prying eyes. If you own a Samsung smartphone, then you are very lucky. The privacy protection function is already built into your device.

An alternative solution is Nova Launcher. This launcher makes it easy to hide the applications you want with your own basic settings. To do this, select the appropriate item in the Nova Launcher settings and decide on the final list of hidden applications.

The application has a simple, intuitive interface, so even a child can figure it out.

Do not forget that any file manager is able to hide individual files or even entire folders, so you can easily hide SMS messages, or contacts, any multimedia data, these are photos and music, or a text document from strangers. To do this, simply enclose the desired file in quotation marks. After this simple operation, it will become invisible to inexperienced users. All the applications listed with the article can be easily downloaded from the Play Market, just enter the required name in the search.

What methods of hiding information do you prefer and do you know?

Unlike Windows, Android does not have a function to hide files and folders. However, do not forget that this operating system is distinguished by its openness and the ability to make various changes to its work. Therefore, when performing certain manipulations, you can still safely hide important documents from third parties. Let's take a look at how to hide files and folders on Android.

Ways to hide data on Android

There are several ways to hide personal information (photos, videos, text documents, etc.) located on the external or internal memory of a mobile device:

Through the file manager installed on the device;
By means of the ".nomedia" file;
Using a computer;
Through special software.

Using the file manager

You can reliably hide any file or entire folder from outside eyes using any conductor available on the gadget. This is the simplest method of hiding, so our review should begin with it. The procedure will be as follows:

Restart Android and check the result of your actions. Now, when displaying the contents of the repository, the specified object will be absent. If you need to return everything to its place, it is enough to activate the item "Show hidden files and folders" in the settings of the same explorer, and then remove the previously set period from the name.

Hiding folders with the ".nomedia" file

Android OS periodically scans the integrated and embedded memory of the device to look for changes in the storage structure. If during the next examination the system detects the ".nomedia" file, it will skip the folder in which this element is located and will not display its contents in the future.

You can use this phenomenon to hide a photo, video, or other type of information:

The folder with your data will disappear. It will only be visible on PC. To remove hidden mode, you need to delete the ".nomedia" document.

How to hide a folder on Android through a computer?

The above methods of hiding lose their effectiveness when a mobile device is connected to a PC, since objects hidden using ".nomedia" or the file manager on the computer will still be displayed.

If you want to be absolutely sure that no one gets to your confidential data, you need to use combined hiding, which is as follows:

After successfully hiding the folder, it will be absent not only on the smartphone screen, but also on the computer. To access it, you need to do the following:

Now, through your computer, you will gain access to previously hidden information. Depending on which masking method was used, you just have to delete the ".nomedia" file or turn on the display of hidden data in the explorer.

Application of additional software

You can hide not only files and folders on Android, but also installed programs. This is done using the Hide It Pro utility. It works as follows:

The selected shortcuts will be located in the ProgramData / Android / Language / .fr folder. For their visibility, you need to enter the file manager and put a checkmark in front of the item "Show hidden files and folders".

Sometimes it becomes necessary to hide files in Android so that they are not visible in the standard explorer or so that they are not displayed in the list of media files for viewing or playing.

Files can be hidden in a simple way, using Android tools for assigning the " hidden", By analogy with Windows OS. The only difference from Windows is that the attribute of a hidden file in Android is set by the dot symbol in front of the file name, while in Windows the file is hidden by setting a checkmark in the appropriate field in the properties of the object called by right-clicking on its name.

An easy way to hide files in Android

The Android operating system is built on the Linux kernel and also works with hiding files. It is enough just to rename the file or folder with a point in front of the object name. For example, renaming the file “ my_ photo. jpg" v ". my_ photo. jpg»We will make the last file hidden, it will not be visible in the standard file manager and gallery. Audio and video files renamed in this way will also not be present in the playlist.

How to rename files in Android to hide them

You can rename files using the standard manager functions on the device itself or through a computer.

It should be noted that this method does not give a 100% guarantee of keeping private data from prying eyes. Such files are easily viewed by third-party file managers. For reliable data protection, it is best to use specialized programs, of which there are many for every taste.